Murmyshia, Volynkin, 2024

Volynkin, Anton V., 2024, On the taxonomy of the Oriental genus Paraona Moore with descriptions of a new genus, a new species, and introduction of new synonymies (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Lithosiini), Ecologica Montenegrina 73, pp. 408-420 : 409-411

Murmyshia gen. n.

https://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A9FC5CC5-5AA6-4E8C-8C1E-22C451753DBC

Type species: Atolmis unifascia Hampson, 1901 .

Diagnosis. Species of the genus ( Figs 1–12 ) are externally reminiscent of the genus Hesudra Moore, 1878 (type species: Hesudra divisa Moore, 1878 ) ( Figs 13, 14 ) but differ in their whitish forewing ground colour with a silver tint (it is ochreous yellow in Hesudra ), and the less elongate anal corner of the hindwing in males. Another similar genus is Ghoria Moore, 1878 having females externally very similar to Murmyshia gen. n. but distinguished, however, by the whitish or greyish forewing, which is pale ochreous yellow or dark brown in the new genus. Males of Ghoria are similar to females whereas species of Murmyshia gen. n. are sexually dimorphic and unlike females, males have bipectinate antennae (vs. weakly ciliate in females), a somewhat shorter forewing with more convex anal margin and a narrower longitudinal stripe not reaching the anal margin (except for M. obscuria sp. n. having a stripe broader than in male and extending dorsad in the subbasal area), and a modified hindwing with an elongate anal corner and an anal margin bearing a cluster of androconial scales.

The male genitalia of the new genus ( Figs 17–22 ) differ from Hesudra ( Fig. 24 ) in the following characters. (1) The vinculum is short and lacks the coremata whereas in Hesudra it is elongate and bears two broad sack-like coremata laterally. (2) The valva is elongate and with a distal section (‘cucullus’) bearing a short thorn-like process ventrally and having a broad cluster of long but easily detachable setae whereas Hesudra has a shorter valva lacking the distal-ventral process and having a short cluster of shorter setae along the outer margin of the ‘cucullus’. (3) The basis valvae is thin and smooth whereas in Hesudra it is thick and has a short and triangular jugum distalis. (4) The costa is narrow, distally tapered, forms the majority of the dorsal valva margin and stretches along the outer wall of the valva whereas the costa of Hesudra is very short and triangular, and the medial and distal sections of the dorsal margin of the valva are supported by the secondary sclerotisation widely protruding ventrad on the outer wall of the valva. (4) The editum is broad and straight, occupying the dorsal section of the inner valva surface while the diaphragmal section of the transtilla is membranous. In Hesudra , the editum is narrow, crossing the valva obliquely, and proximally extending into a heavily sclerotised lobe covered with spines, the ental end of which is protruding into the diaphragm and extending into a ribbon-like tendon stretching ventrad and reaching the dorsal wall of the anellus, which is situated considerably more ventrally then the dorsal section of the valva. (5) The sacculus is proximally narrow and distally dilated, its distal section has a falcate protrusion directed dorsad-inwards along the editum, and bears a short, protrusion-like subapical process directed ventrad. Unlike Murmyshia gen. n., the sacculus of Hesudra terminates with a rod-like distal saccular process, similar to a number of other Lithosiini genera. (6) The juxta consists of two lateral lobes largely or fully separated by the medial membrane and bearing laterodorsal processes whereas in Hesudra , it is solid and folded ribbon-shaped. (7) The phallus is slightly Slike curved, has an elongate coecum, a medial dorsal protrusion (and in certain species, an additional distal ventral one), and a narrow distal section whereas the phallus of Hesudra is somewhat medially downcurved, has a vestigial coecum, and is distally dilated. (8) The vesica is short and only somewhat broader than the phallus tube whereas in Hesudra , it is sack-like dilated and as twice as broad as the distal end of the phallus.

In the female genitalia, Murmyshia gen. n. ( Figs 25–27 ) is characterised by the following characters. (1) The 7 th sternum is protruding medially-posteriorly, the ostium bursae is situated in the intersegmental membrane slightly posteriorly from the posterior end of the sternum, and is separated from it by the thick membrane. In Hesudra ( Fig. 29 ), the posterior margin of the 7 th sternum is deeply V-like concave, fold-like swollen and heavily sclerotised, and the ostium bursae is situated in the intersegmental membrane at the bottom of this V-like depression, and its ventral margin is fused with the sclerotised margin of the latter. (2) The ductus bursae is tubular and laterally curved, and its posterior (subostial) section is sclerotised whereas in Hesudra the ductus bursae is shorter and membranous, except for the ventral margin. (3) The corpus bursae is strongly elongate and marrow-shaped, its posterior section smoothly narrows and passes into a ductus bursae, and the ductus seminalis originates from the anterior section of the posterior tubular formation, which as a whole could be called the ductus bursae. In Hesudra , the corpus bursae is well-separated from the ductus bursae, and is clearly subdivided into the posterior and anterior sections, the former of which is narrower and posteriorly tapered, weakly sclerotised and reticulate rugose, and bears a ductus seminalis laterally, while the anterior section of the corpus bursae is broader, elliptical and membranous. (4) The corpus bursae bears a single, long, ribbon-like signum stretching all along its length whereas in Hesudra , the signum is broad, teardrop-shaped, bisected by a longitudinal groove, and situated in the anterior section of the corpus bursae.

Distribution. Species of the genus are found in Sundaland, reaching the northern end of the Malay Peninsula (southern Myanmar) in the north and the island of Sumbawa in the east, but absent from Borneo.

Etymology. The genus is dedicated to the member of the author’s family, Georgy ‘Murmyshik’ Foss.

Species content

– M. unifascia ( Hampson, 1901) , comb. n.

= Paraona wallaceana Spitsyn & Bolotov, 2020 , syn. n.

– M. micans ( Pagenstecher, 1895) , comb. n.

= Agylla dirabdus Rothschild, 1920 , syn. n.

– M. obscuria sp. n.

Figures

Figures 1–8. Murmyshia spp.: adults. Depositories of the specimens: 1 and 6 in NHMUK (©The Trustees of NHMUK); 2 and 5 in MWM/ZSM; 3, 4, 7 and 8 in CKC.

Figures 9–16. Murmyshia (9–12), Hesudra (13, 14), and Macrobrochis (15, 16) spp.: adults. Depositories of the specimens: 9, 13 and 14 in CKC; 10–12 in MWM/ZSM; 15 and 16 in NHMUK (©The Trustees of NHMUK).

Figures 17–20. Murmyshia spp.: male genitalia. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 17 and 19 in MWM/ZSM; 18 and 20 in CKC.

Figures 21–24. Murmyshia (21, 22), Macrobrochis (23), and Hesudra (24) spp.: male genitalia. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 21 and 22 in MWM/ZSM; 23 in NHMUK (©The Trustees of NHMUK); 24 in CKC.

Figures 25–29. Murmyshia (25–27), Macrobrochis (28), and Hesudra (29) spp.: female genitalia. Depositories of the specimens dissected: 25 and 27 in MWM/ZSM; 26 and 29 in CKC; 28 in NHMUK (©The Trustees of NHMUK).